@John Larson: Athough it might seem like the PDC Event is saving money, it's quite the opposite. The costs involved with live broadcast of an entire conference (not just the keynote), the new online features we're adding, and the fact that have only 1,000 paid attendees mean that this year's event will end up costing us money.

Saving money was not at all the reasoning behind having the PDC in Redmond. It's about maximizing reach and enhancing the virtual experience so that more people can "attend", even if they don't have the budget or logistical means to do so.